


I would break into blossom

by leiascully



Series: New York AU [14]
Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-25
Updated: 2010-12-25
Packaged: 2017-10-14 07:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/146943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leiascully/pseuds/leiascully
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's time to embrace bliss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I would break into blossom

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: NY AU  
> A/N: The title is from James Wright's "A Blessing". Merry Christmas! Happy New York! A big thank you to **frakcancer** for NYC expertise. ♥  
>  Disclaimer: _Battlestar Galactica_ and all related characters belong to Ronald Moore, NBC Universal, Sci-Fi Channel, and Sky One. No profit is made from this work and no infringement is intended.

It's the middle of June, when Laura's life usually stretches out in front of her like a wasteland with August a green vision at the far end, but this year, her summer is bliss. The heat doesn't bother her; the city reek is like perfume. When Bill opens the door of the West Bank Café for her, Laura nearly floats in. If she were being more cautious, she would think that it's too early for her to meet his children - that's serious business, even at their age. But this feels _right_. She's spent too much of her life worrying about what was expected and proper, and too much of it fighting back against that. Bill lets her be herself and asks nothing else of her. She's very ready to let that be real.

She spots them the moment they walk through the door: Bill's two handsome sons and Lee's girlfriend. What's her name? Kara, that's it. The artist Kara Thrace. Laura once went to see an exhibition of hers with Richard - Kara deserves the praise heaped on her. Kara throws her head back, laughing at something that Zak says, and Lee turns and spots them. He whispers in Kara's ear and she calms, still snickering.

Zak has his father's dark hair and skin, but Lee is fairer, presumably more like his mother. They both have their father's stubborn set to the jaw and when they stand up, they have his manners and his stocky build too.

"You must be Laura," Zak says, holding out his hand. "Pop's description didn't do you credit."

"What did he say?" Laura asks, shaking Zak's hand. She looks at Bill over her shoulder - he's pulled out her chair and is waiting for her to sit down. She'd swear he's nearly blushing.

"Oh, something about starlight and roses and never having seen anyone more beautiful in his life," Zak says, waving his other hand dismissively but grinning. "I'll be honest, after about an hour or so, I kind of tuned him out."

Kara is looking at both of them with an odd, intent expression on her face. Laura is a little taken aback by it, but she's not about to show it. After all those years in front of a whole classroom of incredulous faces, she's not going to let one woman's stare intimidate her. Instead, she takes her seat as gracefully as she can and folds her napkin into her lap.

"Hera," she says abruptly, turning to Zak, who lets out a low whistle, slouching back into his own chair. "Don't you think?"

"Perfect, Sunny," Zak says, and Kara's glaring at him now.

"What?" Lee asks.

Kara sighs. "And here I thought you would be the one who appreciated art." She softens the comment by squeezing Lee's arm. "Remember, I painted you and Zak? That day job I've got? I think Laura and your dad should be Hera and Zeus." She squints at them. "Yeah. That'll do just fine."

"Dad, this is Kara Thrace," Lee says, a wry twist to his mouth. "She's pretty much always like this."

"It's an honor to meet you," Bill says gravely. Laura suppresses the shiver that his voice always sends through her. "I hope I get a lightning bolt."

"I hope you don't start making eyes at swans," Laura teases him.

"I, uh, might need to read that myth again," Bill admits.

Laura laughs and Kara does too. "Don't worry about that, ma'am," Kara tells her. "No swans. And no cows."

"What did I just agree to?" Bill asks his sons.

"Don't worry about it, Pops," Zak reassures him, leaning forward. "She's pretty discreet. I mean, I got to keep my shorts on."

"I painted 'em out in the picture," Kara tells him. I mean, you had that big old robe on and all. I didn't think you needed them."

"Buddy, I hope that one went to a private collection," Lee teases.

"Same as yours," Kara says. "I'm sure you're quite the pair on either side of Madame's boudoir. She has an _excellent_ eye for form."

Lee and Zak both look flummoxed, and everybody snickers.

"I'm glad you're around to keep my boys in line," Bill says to Kara.

"Thank you, sir," she says. "I do my level best." Kara's got nice manners, Laura thinks, though she isn't subtle.

"We should probably order some food," Lee says. He looks flustered. Laura smiles to herself. They're lovely boys, and it's clear they love their father. She could enjoy seeing them for holidays and birthdays. The thought startles her. How far ahead is she thinking? But she glances over at Bill as she peruses the menu and he smiles at her and yes, she wants to think about forever. And she looks at Kara and Lee across the table and thinks she's not the only one. Lee looks at Kara with stars in his eyes and she stares back with a level gaze.

"I'm having these ricotta pancakes," Zak says decisively. "Sounds like it'll satisfy my sweet tooth. K, I think that's why things never happened between us."

She snorts. "Right. That and my big strapping ex-husband, right?"

Zak considers. "True. I didn't want him to dunk me. Hey, Pops, did you know Kara used to date Sam Anders?"

"Thank you for that, Zakary," Kara says in a voice that promises retribution later.

"Yes," Lee says. "Thank you." His eyes might burn holes through his menu.

"Hey," Zak says easily, "I like to get all the drama out into the air before it festers."

"At least the ink's dry," Kara says half to herself.

"Sam Anders plays a good game," Bill rumbles. "I'm sorry to hear there was drama."

"It's all right," Kara says. "I think it will be all right this time. And I could probably still get you tickets if they play the Knicks."

"Good grasp of the fundamentals, Sam Anders," Bill says. "Can't go wrong with my son, though. Who's gonna explain a panini to me?"

"It's a hot pressed sandwich," Laura tells him.

"Huh," Bill says. "Steak and eggs it is."

Laura giggles - she loves him for his curmudgeonly moments and she loves him for his adventuring moments. Apparently today he's less than adventurous. "Predictable, but a good choice."

All of the food is good. Zak's sweet tooth, Lee's evidently epicurean proclivities, and Bill's hearty appetite are all satisfied - Kara doesn't seem to care too much but likes her French toast and Laura doesn't regret her choice of salmon tartare. They make light conversation. Lee tells them about the personalities of the UN. Zak refuses to talk business or politics and regales them with the details of the latest thing he saw on Broadway with some girl he met and how one of the actors almost fell off the stage. Laura tells stories about past students and the hijinks they got up to in the classroom.

"When will you come and sit for me?" Kara asks, propping her chin on her hands and her elbows on the table. She's looking at them with those appraising artist's eyes again.

"Tomorrow," Laura says recklessly. "It's only Saturday. Did you have plans for tomorrow, Bill?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," he says, and his eyes don't move but his voice is like a wink. Laura can't help biting her lip in anticipation. "I always have time for a friend of Lee and Zak's."

"Great," Kara says. "I'll do a sketch tonight."

"I look forward to it," Bill says.

They finish the meal and bid the kids goodbye. Bill spends a lazy afternoon convincing her that an ordinary day with him can be more than extraordinary, and she can't believe the turn her life has taken for the better.

"I love you," she whispers to him and rolls out of bed, wanting a drink of water.

"About time," he tells her. "I've been waiting for you my whole life."

"Good things come to those who wait," she says, tossing her hair.

"I think my good thing should get her ass back in this bunk," he rumbles.

"You have to wait!" She cups cool water to her mouth with one hand - she's left her glass somewhere. Bill comes up and puts his arms around her.

"I waited long enough," he says. "Feels like a thousand years."

"Then I won't deprive you any longer," she says.

\+ + + +

Being painted by Kara Thrace is quite the experience. Laura's never felt so naked, though she's draped in a sheet. But Kara's eyes seem to see right through the fabric, and Laura almost feels ticklish as she watches Kara paint her, as if Kara is dragging the brush over Laura's own skin instead of a canvas. Kara's banished the men to the other part of the apartment; she and Laura are alone in the studio. Laura's glad about that. She feels disingenuous, sitting here gazing dreamily into the middle distance, her hair loose and what feels like half her ribs showing. She doesn't feel like a model. She certainly doesn't feel like a goddess.

But the longer Kara looks from her to her work, the better Laura feels. She's a part of something new, something creative. She's not wielding the brush, but she's part of the painting. She's engaged in the process. Laura's never thought of herself as a beautiful woman. She knows she's got a nice enough face, but she's never inspired anyone before. But now there's Kara, recreating her as a new image, and Bill, who seems sometimes struck dumb when he sees her. It's a revelation to her. She's a little bit sad that she took so long to feel that she deserves this in her life.

It's high time she was worshiped. She makes certain that she's sitting up straight. Regal, she thinks, even when her knee starts to itch and her arm tingles from holding it up too long. Kara stays mostly quiet, but sometimes she'll ask Laura to move, or sometimes she'll just come over and move her as if Laura's a mannequin. It amuses Laura to have her limbs manipulated by a woman young enough to be her daughter who's so caught up in whatever vision that she's having that she doesn't even ask for permission to touch Laura. If Laura had hoped for some casual conversation about Bill's sons, she would have been disappointed. But she's rather pleased, all things considered, even when the air conditioning kicks on and her skin prickles into goosebumps.

She can't wait for Bill to go through this.

"All right," Kara says after a while. "That's good for now."

"May I see it?" Laura asks, lowering her aching arm and wrapping her sheet more tightly around herself.

"No," Kara says. "Not yet. Later. We're not done, but you could use a break. There are rules. Anyway, I think Lee made lunch, and he gets pissy if we don't eat it when it's at the peak of flavor or whatever. I could care less about food, but everybody's got their art. He should have just opened a restaurant or something. "

"Still time for that," Laura says, half to herself. "There's always time to make a change in your life."

"Yeah," Kara says. "I'm learning that." She dunks her brushes to clean them, looking speculative. "God, right. Peak of flavor. I hope they've been telling him horror stories about what it's like to sit for me. I want my boyfriend's dad terrified to be in the same room with me and my paints."

"I'll tell him some if you'd like," Laura says.

"Feel free," Kara says. "I get a reputation as a crank and my work goes for double the price." She grins, a wild, free expression. "We'll get back to this later. But don't worry. You're pretty good so far. It's always good to know I was right."

"I'm sure that happens often," Laura says.

Kara snorts. "You won't say that once you know me better. But for now, sure, let's go with it. Kara Thrace is the world authority on everything except fucking up." She skins off her smock. "Contrary to popular belief and all evidence."

"I'm sure that sells paintings too," Laura quips.

"Sure as hell does!" Kara says. "So there's one thing working for me. God, I could eat a horse, but I hope that's not what's on my plate. Oh, and I guess you can put your clothes back on if you want."

Every day is an adventure, Laura thinks as she watches the door swing shut, cutting off her glimpse of the Adamas. She couldn't really imagine being happier, either. She takes a deep breath and feels the joy blooming up through her body. She imagines that she can feel flowers twining spontaneously through her hair like a princess in a fairytale as she slips back into her clothes, which feel silky against her skin, as if there's an extra energy in the air.

It's time to embrace bliss.


End file.
